Invitations

• Message in a bottle - write or print out the party info on paper, fold and insert into small empty (clean & dry ) water bottles.  Include a couple tablespoons of sand in the bottle.  Seal and hand deliver, or leave in the mailbox.

• Pirate Invitations and Thank you cards

  Foods - Drinks & Desserts

• Fish Sticks or Chicken Nuggets
• Goldfish crackers
• Root 'Beer', Ginger 'Ale'
• Jell-o Gems

• Volcano Cake  

• Treasure Island cake - Use 2 round cakes any flavor - frost the top of one cake with white frosting, sprinkle with mini m&m's.  Place second cake on top of the the first.  Using white frosting, create an island on the center of the cake.  Mix blue food coloring in the rest of the white frosting and frost the rest of the top and the sides.  Before serving, sprinkle crushed graham crackers on the beach area to give it a sandy effect.  Decorate the island with lego palm trees, treasure chest and shark.  Place mini m&m's inside the open treasure chest, and sprinkle a few outside the chest. 

  Decorations

• As the children arrive, outfit them with a colorful bandana, and eye patch (made out of black fun foam and attach with thin elastic)
• Booty Bag -  Purchase a package of men's small or children's plain white tube socks.  Weave a white shoelace through the top of the sox for a drawstring.  Write each child's name on a sox.  When they arrive they can attach their booty bag to their belt loop, and use it to keep their party treasure in.

  Activities

• Movies - For a longer party (or if your outdoor activities get rained out) you may have them watch Peter Pan, Hook or Blackbeard's Ghost.  After the movie, have a trivia contest with prizes.
• Treasure hunt -  indoors or out.  Use plastic gold and silver coins.  For gems, spray paint small (1" to 2") white stones red, blue and green.   The children can use their Booty Bag to store their treasure.  After the hunt children can turn in their coins and gems for prizes. You could also use small bright plastic Easter eggs as gems with a small prize inside .
• Sand box hunt - For younger children - if you have a sand box, you may want to use shiny coins (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters).  Allow each child to dig for 1 minute.  Replace 'found' coins after each turn.  Let the children keep the coins that they find.
• Pin the 'X' on the treasure.  Using a large brown grocery bag, cut open, draw a treasure map.  Print out and cut apart 'X's and Treasure chest.  Glue the treasure chest near the center of the map.  Attach tape to the back of each X, so that there is a sticky side out.  Blindfold each child when it is their turn. (you know how this game works!)
• Walk the Plank - create a  2' x 8' plank, use sidewalk chalk in the driveway or masking tape on the carpet.  Take turns blindfolding each player, turning them 3 times then release them at the start of the plank.  Who ever can walk the furthers without falling off the "plank" is the winner.  

  Goodie Bags

• Goodie Bag ideas could be: a compass, ring, tattoos, gem pop rings, candy necklaces, chocolate foil covered coins
• Prizes won during the treasure hunt and put in their booty bag. (white tube sox)
• Small lego pirate sets